Actress arrested with 15 kg of gold at Bengaluru airport

In a massive crackdown, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials arrested popular Kannada actress Ranya Rao after she was found carrying 14.8 kg of gold at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on Monday night. The DRI officials produced the young actress before an economic offenses court, which remanded her to 14 days in judicial custody.

33-year-old Ranya Rao is the stepdaughter of K. Ramachandra Rao, a senior IPS officer who is currently serving as the Director-General of Police (DGP) at Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation. Ranya made her acting debut with Sandalwood star Kichcha Sudeep’s 2014 blockbuster, Maanikya. She went on to act in Wagah (Tamil) and Pataki (Kannada).

According to the reports, the DRI officials grew suspicious of Ranya after she visited Dubai 4 times in 15 days. She was nabbed at the Kempegowda International Airport on Monday night upon her return from Dubai on an Emirates flight. Cops are currently probing whether Ranya is operating alone or if she has any links with a larger smuggling network operating between Dubai and India. They are also investigating whether Ranya’s stepfather and other police personnel were aware of her gold smuggling spree.

Ranya reportedly used her ‘connections’ to bypass the customs scrutiny at the airport several times. On a few instances, she had even taken the help of the airport police, who escorted her to her home. Apparently, she often claimed that she is the daughter of Karnataka Director-General of Police. Cops revealed that Ranya had allegedly smuggled the gold by concealing gold bars in her dresses.